A man and child have died after being swept off the rocks at a beach in Sydney’s south-east.
Emergency services were called to Little Bay after the pair, who had been fishing, were washed into the water.
The man, aged in his 40s, and the nine-year-old boy, were both taken out of the water by paramedics in a critical condition, but couldn’t be saved.
Footage from the scene showed emergency services gathered on a nearby golf course.
Police officers held up a white sheet to block cameras as paramedics loaded a stretcher into an ambulance.
Police could be seen speaking to bystanders and other fishers on nearby rocks, and a police boat was patrolling waters off the beach.
A crime scene has been established by officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command and an investigation is underway.
Late last year, Royal Life Saving Society and Surf Life Saving Australia data revealed 294 people died at waterways and beaches around the country in 2020/2021, compared with 245 in the previous 12 months.
The organisations said rescue-related incidents, often involving rips at unpatrolled beaches, increased by 150 per cent.
The lifting of restrictions towards the end of 2020 were likely linked with a corresponding increase in rescues and drowning deaths.
